


The Blossoming Vines

by deathwailart



Series: Dragon Knights [OLD] [11]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Elves, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Face-Sitting, Fingerfucking, High Fantasy, Knights - Freeform, Nymphs & Dryads, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-03
Updated: 2013-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-13 19:38:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/828065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathwailart/pseuds/deathwailart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tanis and Ilea in Borea, the first time it's more than just sex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Blossoming Vines

"You are the only home I have."  
  
The words linger in her mind long after Ilea has said them, wondering when they became this close on a journey Tanis did not wish to take part in. Maybe it's because it's the three of them who have bonded over what they've seen but if Tanis is honest with herself, she knows it began earlier than that, somewhere along the journey with their arguments that first came to blows, more than one punch thrown or Tanis snarling with magic blazing in her hand and then it started to change. Once when they went to fight one of them – she can't remember who, maybe it was both of them at the same time – reached out and grabbed, coming together to kiss, messy and fierce, struggling for control. And it was awkward. It made the tension worse until even Oran's cheery disposition soured but then it changed, the bickering became a chance to air painful truths, to bond properly and to even start to laugh over things that were less painful although the laughs still have some air of being forced. Tanis knows from seeing Ilea and seeing Oran, their easy smiles, the way they can simply say: I feel this way because of this that there is something different about her. Solace she hates it, hates herself in ways she can't explain because she wants to be able to be as open as Ilea (Ilea who in her mind still doesn't deserve to feel sad or angry because she is a royal princess who has had everything handed to her compared to Tanis and Oran who come from lives of nothing but hardship and ghosts of glory) but it seems so elven. _Only an arrowtip would bleat in such a way_ , she thinks poisonously too often on their journey.  
  
That Ilea's family and the royalty or nobility or whatever it is that makes up the court of Tishlen is unexpected do not believe them is unexpected. They sent Ilea to investigate and here they have solid proof but bury their heads in the sand, going so far to disown a supposedly precious daughter should she not do as she is told. That her own elders do not believe them hurts but Tanis can understand that too – Jormsen is precarious, they are unlikely to condone a course of action that will ever pose a greater risk to them. There are slave raids still and Tanis has seen her own people in chains, enslaved by the elves who rule over them now and even though it hurts, even though she desperately wants to be trusted by her elders, she understands. She disagrees with their opinion. It twists her gut, knotting and making her feel sick as something hot and sharp bubbles up her throat. Oran suspects but knows enough to say nothing of it because Tanis does everything for her people. Oran's people do not believe them either and though it is the third time, the hurt is less, perhaps because they've already experienced it or because the nymphs are even fewer than humans and unwilling to go beyond their borders. Instead, they welcome them to stay for Oran's Purification, a rite of passage to show if she is dedicated to the wood and the living world or if she is to go into the ether. They wish their friend good luck (Oran hugs them, twines vines around their limbs, leaves the perfume of crushed petals and fresh green grass on their skin, thorns catching on their clothes to pull away threads when she departs) and are told they might wander Borea as they await Oran being ready.  
  
"You have to meditate," Tanis explains when Ilea tries to follow and again when she suggests they sneak off and find her. "Preparing for a ritual is more than physical, you must be ready. It is a path you will walk alone."  
  
The Purification sounds barbaric to Ilea but not to Tanis who understands what it is to potentially sacrifice everything in order to be both what you want and need to be. She has the scar to prove it and the heart that isn't hers and isn't even human beating away beneath her breast and it belonged to countless others before it was given to her. Her heart is a fire dragon heart too so she understands better than Ilea ever would even if Ilea's people did more than celebrations or tournaments to mark the coming of age or whatever they do. Tanis hasn't really asked because she doesn't (or is it didn't now?) care and it hasn't come up. Tanis and Oran's cultures have come up because they're so different to Ilea's and shrouded in secrecy, at least to the elf who only has rumour to go on, her culture imposed on them both to the point that their own ways are shadows of what they once were, in the case of Tanis, or closely guarded, like Oran's. Tanis remembers having to prepare herself as her body recovered from childbirth, long days and nights of reaching inward to summon her magic, to remind herself of all her commitments and what it was she would become; she has given up her humanity to reshape herself and has done for years of her life to become the weapon Jormsen needs. Oran is giving herself in one way or another to Stjarnacado, volunteering to know pain and to trust in something much greater than herself. Tanis can't make Ilea understand that. She doubts an elf would anyway when they seem to have no faith of their own and rely on what they make and wield with their own two hands, no vital spark of anything other than life within them.  
  
Sometimes she thinks it must be an incredibly empty existence.  
  
"You gave up a life of comfort and excess for this," Tanis says as they make camp at the base of a large tree, knotted and gnarled but still beautiful with thick green leaves and bright blossoms. "Why?"  
  
"My life is not so charming as you would think," Ilea replies and there is something in her tone that says there is more to it but equally that Tanis should not pry and Tanis is happy to go along with that. She's been smiling here, they all have, as if Borea has lifted the spirits even if yet again they have been ignored by elders. Tanis frowns because it hurts when Ilea says that – she has been waited upon hand and foot by human slaves and says these things so lightly that it's a reminder of the gulf between them. "I would rather do what is right in my heart than do what pleases another."  
  
"You disrespected your elders."  
  
"As did you."  
  
It hits Tanis like a physical blow because it's true. She has defied her elders. She has placed her thoughts, her beliefs above that of her people. For a moment she can't speak, can't articulate in her own tongue or the elven standard what she wants to say. "I have to protect them," is all she can muster in the end, quiet, almost lost amongst the wind rustling branches and leaves but not weak.  
  
"As do I. Our elders are not always wise."  
  
"I can't-" She shakes her head, unable to finish the sentence. She can't say a word against them even though they've hurt her: Jormsen is trying to survive and recover and has to look out for all of them and for the east, the south and the west who gave all their precious archives, their trinkets and books and statues and anything from before the war to Jormsen for safekeeping.  
  
"I'm sorry," Ilea says quickly and Tanis jumps from the shock of it. She shouldn't be, she's heard it so often on the journey even before Oran joined them. Ilea thanking Tanis, wanting to share the burdens, asking her advice and opinions. Tanis is always unprepared for it and now, apologising for saying something that has caused Tanis pain? It's even more unexpected.  
  
"There is no need," she forces out, reaching over to touch Ilea's hand lightly. "My elders are important to me, I trust them, I have never defied them in such a way."  
  
"I'm used to arguing with my parents more. They want me to have a life that isn't mine. To settle down with some stranger for an alliance of power and try to have children. That isn't me."  
  
"Have you always been so sure of that?"  
  
Ilea pauses, tilting her head back to stare up at the thick canopy overhead that echoes with the evening chorus of birds. "I think so, I've lived a long time compared to you and perhaps Oran, it's very difficult to judge with her people." Tanis nods in agreement because it's the truth; nymphs are tied to the world itself, as rivers and trees, they don't ever believe in death as far as she knows. "I'm ninety-eight, we remember things well but do you ever think there are things that are there for so long you'll never know how they began? I think I always knew I would go against them."  
  
"Even if it meant giving up all of what you are?"  
  
"I would. It's not giving up everything, just...a lot of it." She hesitates for a moment looking vulnerable in a way Tanis didn't know elves could look vulnerable, not in the part of her that had been trained to fear and hate them. She almost wants to interrupt but can't find the words and Ilea seems to come back to herself anyway. "I know," she holds her hands up when Tanis opens her mouth again because Tanis is unable to keep herself from challenging Ilea's opinions as if she is looked for a chink in her armour, a remark, a look, _anything_ to prove her suspicions right, "These are early days. We have no idea what lies ahead but I believe, truly believe, that the three of us can accomplish whatever lies ahead. And if not then we will know we tried as best we could and gave it our all, three nations united. Three women united."  
  
"So you believe Oran will survive?" Tanis finally asks after allowing herself to smile and imagine the three of them crashing against the darkness. Shapeless but for the dwarves and their misshapen hairless bodies and the eggs encased in lava – they know nothing other than what little they've seen and a shared sense that something more is coming and that they have to prepare for it now while they still can.  
  
Her scar hurts. Or she believes it does. Perhaps it is what lies beneath her scar that aches suddenly at the injustice of caverat scum having stolen eggs or the failure to take them even if she knows it was the right choice, as much as it hurts to admit to herself. She owes Ilea for what she did and they both know it but Tanis is too proud and stubborn to admit it whereas Ilea has enough grace – or lacks the will to stir up a confrontation – to say more on the matter and even Oran who is blunt, has said nothing.  
  
"It scares me," Ilea admits and Tanis reaches out to squeeze the elf's hand because she understands and she's afraid too even if she believes Oran will manage this and has already proven her connection to Stjarnacado. "This is so different Tanis to anything I know about – you and Oran come from people with these rituals we don't speak of, you have _magic_."  
  
"My magic and hers has saved your life already, it is never something to be feared."  
  
"It is to us Tanis. You don't know how primal it seems to my kind and to the dwarves."  
  
"Do not speak of the cave rats here," Tanis snaps, letting go of Ilea's hand because as so often happens, the conversation has soured again.  
  
"I'm sorry, I should think more, this is all...I can't explain how different this is, how much there is for me to take in, the changes I know I have to make, things I have to unlearn and learn anew. I'll make mistakes. If I don't catch them I want, no, I _need_ you and Oran but especially you to tell me so I can change."  
  
Tanis is quiet but she reaches out and twines her fingers with Ilea's. She can feel herself blushing when the elf smiles brightly at her, hopeful and warm. "The Purification," she prompts as gently as she can.  
  
"I believe in her. Is that enough?"  
  
"Sometimes," _almost all the time_ , she wants to add, "belief is all we have." Then, because she feels different here beneath the boughs of Borea, the oldest forest in the north and the whole of Stjarnacado, she gives Ilea a tug as she leans forward herself to kiss the elf, tentative but bold enough to instigate something without any prior discussion or crawling into the same tent together to share careful touches. They're so open here with the eyes of the whole forest around them but she doesn't care and when Ilea deepens the kiss, Tanis throws caution to the wind in a manner so unlike her and yet not.  
  
After all there are stories about the ones with fire dragon hearts and how reckless and impulsive they can be.  
  
They're still mostly armed so those are the first things to go, set within reach but not enough so that they'll injure themselves. They were told they'd be safe here and Tanis wants to believe it but she can't. She has never known safety in truth, not when she is so close to Tishlen where she could have been (and could still be now, given the circumstances) taken away to be a slave for some elf or where a dwarf might have come and dragged her below the earth. It's a thought that seems to trouble humans and elves alike more so than nymphs; dwarves tunnelling away beneath everyone with no idea what they plan or how far they empire extends. The forests of Jormsen too are fraught with peril and even here there are said to be beasts that might attack. So she is still on her guard even with Ilea kissing down her throat and awkwardly trying to tug the tie from Tanis' hair.  
  
"Ilea!" She says sharply when a particularly frustrated tug makes her feel as though her scalp is about to be ripped off. "Let me." She unbinds the tie with quick fingers and wraps it loosely around her wrist for safekeeping, shaking her hair out until Ilea is there, running her fingers through it and using it as leverage to pull Tanis into another kiss, more demanding this time, Ilea nipping at her bottom lip. Ilea's hair is in a thick braid hanging over one shoulder and as much as Tanis likes it free, she leaves it as it is in favour of finding the clasps of Ilea's light armour as Ilea unbuckles the heavier plate armour Tanis favours until, light-headed, they're forced to break apart for air.  
  
"I think we should finish this ourselves," Ilea says once she can breathe again and Tanis nods, stripping out of her armour and boots, barefoot in the grass free of chainmail in her simple tunic and leggings, Ilea stripped down to her underwear already, unselfconscious, standing proud and tall as she stalks towards Tanis and tackles her, laughing as they roll in the grass to come to rest beneath the great tree their possessions are propped against. Ilea ends up on top, nudging Tanis to lift her hips to help tug her leggings and small clothes down her thighs to her knees where Tanis kicks out of them herself, almost rolling them both over again. Next Ilea goes for the tunic but Tanis stops her by sitting up as much as she can, reaching behind Ilea to find the ties for her underwear, setting it aside when she's done then resting her hands on Ilea's sides as the elf rids herself of her last garment with a grin, tossing her head back as she places her hands over Tanis', sliding them down to her hips.  
  
"You're overdressed Tanis," she murmurs wickedly, leaning down so their lips touch as she speaks. "Are you going to do something about that or shall I?"  
  
For a moment, Tanis hesitates, no matter how ridiculous it is. Ilea has seen her naked many times by now as this is hardly the first time they have lain together. "You do it." She moves again and raises her arms to allow Ilea to haul her tunic up and over her head, shaking her hair loose when Ilea goes for her own underwear, plainer than Ilea's, lacking in the embroidery and soft trimmings. She has to fight not to curl in on herself as ever when her scar is revealed to Ilea's eyes. No one save another Dragon Knight will understand the conflict that comes with that scar, that it marks the place where something beyond any laws of life and death and nature and even magic has taken place. Her dragon heart resides there. A heart that belonged to countless others and a creature lost from the world now either to death or to some hidden place where they remain safe. Ilea's eyes meet hers and then she bends forward to kiss Tanis briefly before moving to kiss her scar, the cracked black skin that looks like the aftermath of an eruption, thick and raised, hard as stone to the touch. She squeezes her eyes shut, fingers digging into the grass beneath them.  
  
"Tanis?" Ilea asks with concern in both eyes and voice.  
  
"Nothing," Tanis croaks out and when Ilea remains unconvinced, she flips them both over quickly, kissing her way down Ilea's neck to her collarbones where she bites lightly, Ilea gasping then laughing breathlessly. This is a change to how they usually are, too confined in the camp with Oran so close and before there was grunting or as little sound as possible. There was never any sort of levity to the situation. Tanis likes it already. When she reaches Ilea's breasts, the elf arches beneath her, one hand scrabbling to grab Tanis as she cups them, rubbing her nipples until Ilea is moaning, her nipples drawn tight, a flush spreading down her neck and across her chest. "You're never this loud," she whispers as she pinches the other woman's nipples lightly, grinning when it provokes a choked sound.  
  
"You've never-" Ilea shakes her head and the hand not touching Tanis moves to between her thighs, brushing against Tanis who moans herself. "We've never..."  
  
"I know." She stops touching Ilea then who curses but keeps her hand moving between her legs, Tanis watching her hips move, listening to the little hitches in her breathing until she pulls the hand away, smirking when Ilea complains at the loss.  
  
"You are a terrible tease," Ilea hisses then, with effort, rolls them over so she's on top. Ilea has had more experience than Tanis who has been with very few in her life thanks to her duties and Ilea is older, more experienced. Many of the young women in Jormsen are pregnant and Tanis is still uncomfortable being close to someone carrying a child, even now. Where Tanis explored with her hands, Ilea uses her mouth, warm and wet until the air hits and Tanis is arching and whining herself, heat pooling low in her belly embarrassingly quickly. Ilea bites down on a nipple – not hard enough to hurt and it's the shock that makes Tanis jerk beneath her, pressing her thighs together so she won't be tempted to give in so quickly to relieve the pressure with her hand. Her other nipple is given similar treatment and Tanis can't help herself, calling out Ilea's name, her hips moving of their own volition, looking for something to help ease the throb of her pulse. She can feel how wet she is when she moves, shifting so that one of Ilea's knees is between her legs, grinding against it.  
  
Ilea's short nails rake down her sides, just enough to sting and the flash of pain makes it better, has Tanis pressing down harder and moving her hips more insistently. Ilea kisses her again, messier this time and takes one of Tanis' hands and guides it between her legs where she's hot and slick and it takes Tanis a moment to press her pad of her thumb hard against her clit the way she knows Ilea likes it, one finger sliding into her cunt where she's hot and slick, soon sliding another finger in, the angle awkward on her wrist but the ragged sound it tears from Ilea's throat is worth it. She moves her fingers faster, thumb rubbing back and forth, her hips pressed hard against Ilea's knee as she feels her body _thrumming_ , heartbeat loud in her ears, Ilea clenching around her as she lets Tanis do all the work. It takes longer than it would in the tent when they're side by side or taking turns but she's enjoying this, having Ilea above her, sweating and trembling as she moans and bucks her hips into Tanis' touch. Finally she grinds down hard with a sobbing gasp, suddenly tight around the fingers and Tanis lets her ride her way through it, carefully sliding her fingers free when Ilea is done and listing over to the side to collapse on her back, chest heaving like a bellows. Tanis watches her, trying to ignore her own needs for a moment even as her hips make tiny useless motions as she brings her fingers to her mouth, licking them clean.  
  
"C'mere," Ilea practically slurs the words, gesturing Tanis over with jerking movements, still flat on her back. Tanis follows, straddling Ilea's hips until the elf keeps motioning her forward until she realises what Ilea means and starts to blush furiously. She's heard about this and it's not the first time someone has had their mouth on her or vice versa but this position is new. More than that, she is above Ilea and this position will let her dictate things. It's the biggest gesture of trust Ilea has given her thus far and it makes her heart skip a beat even as Ilea draws her closer, arranging them until she's satisfied. Ilea's strong hands curl behind her thighs to help support her. They both know that Tanis won't hurt her and that they're both strong enough to make sure she won't topple over but she still pauses to check things.  
  
"If you need me to move, to stop or to...I don't know, pinch me, push me."  
  
"Tanis," Ilea says firmly, softening it with a kiss to her inner thigh, "just relax, enjoy it. I want to do this."  
  
As soon as Tanis nods, Ilea urges her further forward, tugs her hips down as best she can and then Ilea's lips and tongue are right there where she's hot and wet and it's so gentle that somehow it's almost too much where she's so oversensitive until Ilea's tongue is flicking and circling at her clit. It's enough to get Tanis to drop down another inch and then the angle is so much better, less of a strain on Ilea's neck. Ilea tightens her grip and Tanis can feel herself trembling until she's suddenly arching her back when a thrust of her hips has Ilea fucking her with her tongue until Tanis is breathless, the rhythm of her hips still tentative until Ilea moves to suck at her clit, teeth pressing against the root briefly and Tanis has no idea how long they've been going t it now, she has no concept of time save for too long and not long enough, right on the edge with not quite enough to send her over. Her thighs spread wider and her hands are in Ilea's hair, helping to support her as she rocks against the elf's face, whining as her thighs tremble. Ilea laughs, something Tanis feels more than she hears and it just makes her press down harder. Ilea's tongue slides against her, nails starting to dig into her legs as Tanis bites her lip, head dropping forward as she loses her rhythm completely, body tightening until she cries out, Ilea's name mingled with the names of the dragons she worships and random declarations in her own tongue.  
  
Ilea has to help Tanis move, boneless as she is. Ilea's mouth and chin gleam in the starlight – when did it get so dark, Tanis has no idea – and it should be disgusting but it isn't and so she laughs weakly, reaching out until Ilea is there, pressed against her, their skin too hot and sweaty but lying apart simply feels wrong. It takes time for either to be able to move or breathe as they find a nearby pool to clean up in, trading kisses before dressing and making up camp beneath the same tree. They say little but they smile and Tanis feels at ease in a way she seldom has in her life, still tingling faintly. Here in Borea they're safe enough to sleep together without someone on watch and feeling this good as well as faintly exhausted from the exertion, Tanis falls asleep quickly, head on Ilea's shoulder.  
  
Come morning they are not alone. Oran has returned with a wicked gleam in her eyes, looking over her shoulder at them where she stands with one palm pressed flat against the tree Ilea and Tanis made camp beneath. They share a guilty look, blushing and unable to meet Oran's eyes.  
  
"You gave the Old Mother a show," Oran says in lieu of a good morning.  
  
Tanis can feel the blood draining from her face. "The...the Old Mother?"  
  
"Why do you think we said to camp here? This is the safest place at the heart of Borea," Oran explains lightly as though they're discussing what to have for breakfast. "She's not offended, it's been a while in fact and she's not seen humans and elves in here for so many years, let alone..." She trails off with an evil look. Ilea hides her face in her hands and Tanis clears her throat, utterly mortified. "Come along, I need both of you for the preparation today, we have food." She waits as the two hurry to grab their gear and dress, leaving their packs in the hollows of roots as they follow Oran into a new part of the forest, none of them talking, perhaps for the best. "You know if two nymphs do such a thing beneath the Old Mother they are considered to be our equivalent of your marriage tradition."  
  
Ilea and Tanis share a look that screams they would quite happily wish for the ground to open up and swallow them. Oran laughs all the way to the meeting place and through a breakfast her two companions can barely force down.


End file.
